Great Marriage
(Gen 25: 1~6)
The postmodern idea that considers man as the lord of his life and the center of the world has prevailed nowadays. But as Abrahams life demonstrates, the key to a great marriage is to keep it as a matrix for creating our spiritual heirs. Lets see how Sarah nurtured her husband and her sons as the forefathers of faith through her marriage life.
1. She obeyed her problem husband. Wives need to submit to their husbands, as is fitting in the Lord while husbands should love their wives and do not be harsh with them as in Col 3:18-19. This is Gods punishment for original sin, which calls for our obedience, the key to Gods blessing, through which we can be sanctified. Thus Sarahs obedience became a channel of Gods blessing for her descendants of faith. Eve, made of bone, is superior to Adam, made of dust in the light of her physical component. Women are conceited, but patient. However the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church. Therefore we should obey Christ and submit to the role of our spouse, not to his or her personality. Thus Sarah became a role model of a wife through her obedient life, which brought salvation to all women. In Genesis 12, however, Abraham handed her over to Pharaoh, saying that she was his sister for fear that he might be killed and deprived of her. In this crisis God protected her because she was meant to be the mother of Jesus forefathers. Despite his long days training, Abraham again told the same lie to Abimelech till he sired Isaac. Sarah was a beautiful but barren woman, so Abraham sired a son, Ishmael through Hagar, Sarahs maid. Later Abraham sired Isaac through Sarah and then six more children through Ketura, his concubine. In short, Abraham preferred Hagar and Ketura to Sarah, which implies that he preferred the worldly prospects to Gods promise. Nevertheless, Sarah obeyed her problem husband.
2. She accepted her child trouble. Abraham cherished his robust son Ishmael so much that he said, 'If only Ishmael might live under your blessing!' even when God promised him a son, Isaac (Gen 17:18ampsim19). Spiritually depressed, he didnt look to God for 13 years. And he sired six more children through Ketrua, rationalizing that God will make him into a great nation. Sarah might have been sad watching him comparing Ishmael, a robust non-believer with Isaac, a small, weak boy. Without being loved by her husband, she had to see her son unattended by his father, which must have been a great distress to her. Yet no matter how attractive Abrahams seven sons were, they were not enrolled in the heavenly genealogy except his unattractive son Isaac. Thats why we need to focus on having our spiritual heir embracing our child problems.
3. She embraced her overall trials. What with an unloving husband and an overlooked son, Sarah was in a state of disregard. She was totally set aside as a wife when Abraham went to Sodom in order to save his nephew Lot and when he sold her twice in order to save his life. In addition, she had to endure his incomprehensible behavior of handing over the fertile land in Sodom and Gomorrah and property to Lot, After letting her maid Hagar sleep with Abraham, she must have been in great distress, yet spiritually awake. Swallowing her resentment with patience, she finally demanded with faith that Abraham expel Ishmael. After that, she kept silent even when Abraham took away Isaac to sacrifice him, when he sired children through Ketura, and when those children grew stronger and smarter than Isaac. Whenever Sarah was distressed, she became more and more faithful to God, thinking that it was what she had brought to herself. She was actually in her Catacomb, where the Christians endured their suffering for 313 years. And finally she became a mother of nations through her trials, which made her learn the meaning of true love.
4. She showed her best love. By her proclamations of faith, expel Ishmael and the one that she made on the land of Hebron that Abraham paid for, Sarah became a woman of promise. Her obedience and patience made Abraham listen to her especially at critical moments. This is the great role of a legal wife that God protects. Total trial is actually Gods gift that enables us to testify to Jesus Christ. Thus through her patience and faith, Sarah made her husband a father of nations and her son a promised heir. The one person in a household, who stands firm on faith produces forefathers of faith and many spiritual heirs. Great marriage comes from great love. Marriage is a great responsibility that transcends human love. Even though she didnt enjoy human love from her husband, she recognized Gods love and preserved her household, standing firm on her faith. God made Sarah a great woman, watching her praying and relying of Him in the midst of her suffering. Thus we learn Gods supreme love when our physical city is pulled down. Thats the moment when God helps us make great marriage based on his great love that leads to salvation. May God bless us to keep in mind that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us, hoping for the heavenly kingdom to come!
Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah. She bore him Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak and Shuah. (Gen 25:1-2)
